In its latest report, the U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that more than one in five American adults have a disability.

The report also said that the number of U. S. citizens reporting disabilities has gone up in a substantial manner, and there're expectations that it will go up further by the next two decades.

The CDC said that the total number of U. S. adults with a disability increased 7.7% (3.4 million) between 1999 and 2005.

In the CDC's weekly report on death and disease, Dr. Chad Helmick, of the U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, wrote, "The number of adults reporting a disability likely will increase, along with the need for appropriate medical and public health services, as more persons enter the highest risk age group."

At present, 47.5 million people (around 22%) of the US population, report a disability, and the most common diseases among them include heart trouble, arthritis, rheumatism, and back and spinal problems.

One interesting statistic drawn from the report was that women were slightly more likely to be disabled as compared to men at any age.

The CDC discovered that 24.4% of women had disabilities as compared with 19.9 percent of men, regardless of age.

Among the diseases, arthritis was the major cause of disability, which has affected all over the United States.

Around 7.6 million US people reported back or spine problems, while 3 million people had heart trouble.

In a statement, Dr. John H. Klippel, president and CEO of the Arthritis Foundation, said that 46 million Americans have some form of arthritis.

"With the aging of baby boomers, the prevalence of arthritis is expected to rise by 40 percent - that is up to 67 million people -- by the year 2030," he said.

"These findings suggest a critical need to expand the reach of effective strategies aimed at disability prevention and management," Klippel said.